Poultry-coop.



No. 670,325. .Patented Mar. I9, 190|.

, T. P. Mmm.

PouLTnY couP.

(Application med Jan. 29, 1901.)

O C O O Q O O C C ggg f* THEODORE P. MOHR, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

POLTRY=COOP.

SEECXFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 670,325, dated March 19, 1901..

:Application filed January 29, 1901. Serial No. 45,235. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, THEoDoRE P. Mons, a 'citizen of the United States, and a resident of New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and 'State of Louisiana, have invented a Poultry- Coop, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvementl in folding poultry-coops, and the primary object of said invention is to provide a coop of this character which shall be cheap and simple in construction, strong, and durable.

The invention contemplates a peculiar construction of coop which when folded for shipment or storage will be exceedingly flat and compact to occupy a small space, therebypermittin g a number of such coops to be stacked one upon the other, and when extended for the purpose of shipping poultry will provide a coop that will give the required head-room and possess a structural strength which will withstand the weight of other coops that may be placed upon the same, as well as the rough usage to which coops are sometimes subjected.

A further object of the invention is to provide a folding poultry-coop that is light in construction, consistent with the required strength, and can be easily and conveniently folded and extended, the sides and ends when folded lying snugly upon and within each other to bring the top close to the bottom.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts comprising the improved coop, all as hereinafter fully described in detail and more specifically set forth in the appended claim.

In the drawings which illustrate my invention, and in which like letters of reference indicate like parts. throughout the several views, Figure l is a side elevation of a folding poultry-coop constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 8 is a side view showing the parts folded for shipping the coop. Fig. a is an end view. Figs. 5 and G are detail views of the catch. Fig. 7 is an end view with parts folded.

In carrying' out my invention l employ a wooden bottom A, made up of boards or strips connected to each other in the usual manner, and to this bottom are hinged the sides and ends, hereinafter described, supporting the top B, the latter comprising a rectangular wooden frame, to the under side of which poultry-netting is attached to cover the open spaces of the frame. This frame, forming the top of the coop, consists of the side pieces or strips b o, end cross-pieces b' b', and a central longitudinalstrip h2, which reinforces the frame, plates h3 being attached to the upper side of the cross-pieces, and to said plates are secured the catches F, hereinafter described.

The side walls of the coop are made up of stout wire to form two skeleton frames C and C', hinged to each other and to the bottom A and top B, respectively, in order that they may be folded upon each other, the said wire frames being covered by poultry-netting. In forming these folding side walls the wire forming the frame C presents a straight horizontal bar c, with which the staples d engage, and vertical end bars c c', the terminals of which are bent into eyes to embrace the lower bar c2 of frame C', the frame C being rectangular in shape, with its upper bar c3 hinged to the top B by staples d'. It will be noted that the lower frame is a little narrower than the upper frame in order that it may lie within the same when they are folded. y

, The end walls of the coop are made up of a rectangular wire frame E, also covered by poultry-netting, the lower end of the frame being hinged to the bottom board A by staples d2, and is provided with a loop portion c, with which the catch engages when the parts are folded, said loop also limiting the outward swing of the end frame when it is raised. These end walls are disposed within the sectional side walls in order that when the coop is extended they will serve to brace said side walls, and in folding the coop it is necessary that the end walls are first folded upon the bottom. It will be here noted that the bottom of the end Walls are hinged to the bottom A of the coop at the inner side of the end portions of the frame C in order that the end portions of both frames C and O will lie beyond said end walls when the parts are folded down upon the bottom.

When the coop is extended,as shown in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, the parts are firmly held in this position by means of spring-catches F F, located at the opposite ends of the top B, these catches being curved or bent, as shown,

IOO

to engage the upper cross-bar of the end walls and prevent inward movement of said end walls, outward movement being prevented by means of the loop e, hereinbefore referred to. The movable ends of the spring-catches are guided in staples in one side of the center piece of the top B and will automatically spring into engagement with the upper crossbar f the end walls when said end walls are raised into a vertical position between t le A sectional sides of the coop'. When the coop is folded, the catches engage the loops e, serving to thereby hold the parts folded.

The top B is provided with a door B', hinged to a cross-bar h, forming one side of the opening through which the poultry is passed into the coop, the said door swinging down upon a cross-bar h', forming the other side of the said opening.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction of my improved poultry-coop will be readily understood, and it will be noted that when the parts are extended the end walls are held in an upright position by engaging the catches and end strips of the top and that said end walls serve to support the side walls extended on a line with each other. In folding the coop it is only necessary to disengage the catches, lower the end walls upon the bottom, and then fold the hinged sections of the side walls inward, letting the top of the coop down upon the folded side and end walls. Vhen folded, the catches engage the loops c and hold the parts folded. The advantages of a folding coop are well understood by poultry farmers and shippers,

and in providing such a coop it has been the aim to form a very light structure that can be conveniently handled and also to form a structure of this kind that is strong and durable and which can be folded into as compact a form as possible. It will be readily seen that these advantages are possessed by the coop herein shown and described and that `when the coop is folded the thickness of the same will be very little more than the thickness of theMt-op and bottom pieces. It will also be observed that the coop can be cheaply manufactured.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- In a folding poultry-coop, the combination, with the bottom and top, of folding side walls each consisting of two wire frames hinged to each other and to the bottom and top, rectangular wire frames forming the end walls of the coop and hinged to the bot-tom within the folding side walls, and a loop c formed in the lower cross-bar of the end walls, the aforesaid frames being covered with wire-netting; together with spring-catches attached to the top and extended along one side of the center piece thereof, said catches being adapted to engage the upper cross-barof the end walls when the parts are extended and engage the loops e of the lower crossbar of the end walls when the parts are folded, substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

TI-IEODORE P. MOHR.

YV itnesses:

GUs'rAvE I-IENLING, FRED YOUNG. 

